"You just put your tongue out and you know it's gone," Smith said. If you're a dentist, this is definitely the gig you want.". Ames said if a player doesn't have an implant installed within the first four to six months of losing a tooth, the bone starts to decay. "I love that guy; he's awesome and super sweet outside all this. Has written more than 30 cover stories for SI and ESPN. Some may also like the appearance of the half visor look. Hockey pucks are responsible for many lost teeth on the ice, mostly because they are made of an extremely hard material known as vulcanized rubber, which has been heated to make it more durable.The nature of hockey shots means that pucks can often fly through the air at tremendous speed, and if a flying puck hits a persons teeth, it can deliver more than enough force to break them. "It's tough learning to eat a sandwich again, something you take a bite out of. Additionally, there is a danger to hockey players from the hockey sticks themselves. Teeth flying to the ice. Losing teeth is a natural part of childhood -- and sometimes adulthood, if you're a hockey player. His pearly whites, though, are still at risk from a puck, a stick, the ice or a check into the boards. Missing teeth have been associated with hard-nosed hockey for better and for worse for decades, becoming a stereotype of the game even with some players, like Burns, embracing it as a rite of passage or badge of honour. MISSING TEETH's Forwards/Defensemen roster for 2023-02-07. Shooting percentage is a hockey player's percentage shots that are goals. Want the video? If Grimaldi has his way, he'll be toothless for another 15 years. But still, he hasn't missed a game since his teeth went missing again. "Trust me, hockey players get just as anxious, just as annoyed, just as scared as everyone else," Rivera says. "Hockey players accept that being in the dental chair is just part of their job," says Yont, the Flames' dentist. Why Do Soccer Players Wear Numbers on Jerseys? Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Here is a look at the 10 worst teeth in NHL . This is why many athletes in the hockey game have lost their teeth despite wearing enough kits to protect themselves. What do you picture in your head when you think of a typical hockey player? Other players never bothered to replace them, wearing their missing chompers like a badge of honor. Grimaldi returned to practice, then headed straight for the plastic surgeon to fix his lip, which required 15 stitches, "a record for me," Grimaldi said. Back home, that kind of extensive reconstruction work takes weeks to complete. Smelling Salts. Tom Long, the team dentist for the Hurricanes since the franchise moved to Raleigh in 1997, remembers a similar jack-o'-lantern look to his 1966 Dartmouth hockey team. In 2013 a teammate's slap shot shattered his jaw, damaging 10 of Crosby's teeth. Gordie Howe, Bobby Clarke, Ken Daneyko, Stan Mikita, Bobby Hull all have grins famous for what's not there. For the rest of the world, the eyes might be the windows into the soul. Ultimately, there is no good reason not to wear your mouth guard when you play hockey. As a member of the gnarliest and most peculiar fraternity in sports, Rivera has seen it all during his 17 years practicing dentistry in the NHL: a Tooth Fairy teammate delivering goalie Ben Bishop's incisors to the bench for safekeeping; winger Ondrej Palat holding up half his bottom teeth with his tongue after getting lightsabered by an overeager rookie in practice; veterans, like Tomas Tatar, whom Rivera calls "Humpty Dumpties" because they have lost the same three front teeth on four separate occasions; marquee talent in need of work (and a bit of courage) hiding from him at the arena; and a notorious tough guy silently sweating through his clothes during an especially tough bicuspid extraction that Rivera compares to King Arthur pulling Excalibur out of the stone. People hit their faces on the steering wheel or theyre not buckled in and they hit the dash. Because many tooth losses come with lip lacerations, Ames sometimes works next to a plastic surgeon. "Although I still don't recommend people blocking shots with their teeth. His best year was 2009-10, when he scored 35 goals and 67. Recently, after Florida's Troy Brouwer lost the same two front teeth that Calgary team dentist Kristin Yont had fixed for him when he played for the Flames, he sent her a picture of his wrecking-ball smile while sporting a T-shirt that said it all: 4 out of 5 Dentists Recommend Hockey. Rivera began speed-reading as many gory case studies on extreme dental trauma as he could get his hands on. Hits to the mouth can come from opponents with reckless sticks, high shots, and collisions with other players. "Thats kind of a running joke with guys," Watson said. ESPN writer Dave Fleming takes Mina Kimes on a gory, grueling journey of mouth molds, chiclets, emergency surgery, and more tales of dental hockey horror. It was a perfect fit. "That was the first time I truly understood just how tough and unique hockey players are," Rivera says. 2. The Dirtiest Players In The NHL Right Now. #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/L63ip3BTIj. Players with a higher zone start percentage tend to have more opportunities to shoot, score and assist because they . It might have prevented a concussion, which is no small thing, but as for his teeth, all it did was provide a collection tray for his shattered chiclets (and a cautionary tale for his teenage daughters, both of whom play hockey but never without a full mask).The Winnipeg Warriors, who toiled in the former Western Hockey League, were all smiles in this 1955 team photo. Are you squirming? He's been limited to five goals and 14 points in 56 games. While keeping missing teeth missing can be viewed as a badge of honor in the NHL, the truth is, it also eliminates a lot of pain, Watson said. Here's a look at hockey players smiling over the years, despite missing some teeth. Even Sidney Crosby, the face of the NHL, has a reassembled smile. Thinking that Rivera was a fan, a purple-faced Torts started screaming "Who the f--- let this f---ing kid back here!? Each team keeps a full-time dentist on staff, often seated a few rows behind the bench and armed with a medieval toolkit of needles, forceps, sutures and curettes. How do Hockey Players Prevent Lost Teeth. "I was like, 'OK, we need to do [six] root canals right now.' Such is the life of a medical mechanic who treats wounds so fresh sometimes they make him cringe. The contributions Patrick Kane has made to the Blackhawks organization and city of Chicago will never be forgotten, Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz said. Players also appreciate the freedom of access to their face while they are playing. Pro pucksters give the cold, hard facts on everything from lost teeth to Gary Bettman in ESPN The Magazine's poll of anonymous NHL stars. After making his way, ever so gingerly, to the office of Gil Rivera, the Lightning's team dentist, MacDonald opened his mouth and was greeted by terrified silence. Yet team dentists estimate that only about half of the players in the NHL wear mouthguards. The Leafs would like to do that, and McCabe signed for two more seasons after this one certainly strengthens the blue line that has been one of their weaknesses. "Losing teeth is a badge of honor. "I've pulled teeth out of mouth guards," Detroit Red Wings equipment manager Paul Boyer said. As a result, hockey players are known for, among other things, missing teeth. Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty Images, In 1972, Hull, one of the legendary gap-toothed Hall of Famers, left Chicago to join the WHA's Winnipeg Jets. Ames often isn't the only doctorworking on an impatient patient who wants to return to a game or a practice. They roll by and everybody asks, 'Want an apple?' They have the option of having teeth implants /bridges or other dental procedures performed to replace their missing teeth after retirement. We are resetting, we are collecting assets, Trotz said. And can mouthguards really save your teeth? 3. The biggest thing for me is from now until the end of the season, Im just gonna evaluate.. Simply put, losing teeth is so common in hockey because hockey is a contact sport that features a number of inherent dangers to a persons teeth. Top 6 Best Men's College Hockey Teams of All Time, Top 6 Best Men's Ice Hockey Players Of All Time, Top 6 Best Women's College Hockey Teams of All Time, Top 6 Best Womens Ice Hockey Players Of All Time. Or at least enjoys not having them anymore. SI Staff Oct 7, 2016 Hockey's All-Time Best Toothless Smiles Bobby Clarke (1973) John D. Hanlon Brent. And the respect he earned from then-Lightning coach John Tortorella garnered him the most ice time of his 16-year pro career -- as well as a friend, and a dentist, for life. Toronto sent a conditional 2025 first-round pick, a second-rounder in 2026, prospect Pavel Gogolev and forward Joey Anderson to the Blackhawks for Lafferty, McCabe and conditional fifth-round picks in 2024 and `25. After acquiring one first-rounder from Dallas last summer for young defenseman Nils Lundkvist, the Rangers had enough draft capital to obtain Kane from Chicago. Kane has long been one of the leagues most gifted wingers. Upon retirement, they can opt-in for getting teeth implants/bridges or other dental work to replace the missing teeth. You kind of do it the side, caveman style.". They've all had their teeth knocked out on the job -- and some of them off the job. So naturally, we decided to come up with a list of current and former NHL players who had the worst smiles in league history. Even the slightest force that can break a small bone is capable of knocking your teeth lose irrespective of your mouth protection. His mother warned him. . We wondered how players would still be losing teeth, so we asked local Richmond dentist Sheena Sood how that was possible. Click here for the upcoming schedule and to learn how to subscribe. Chicago's Duncan Keith had seven teeth knocked out by a puck in the Western Conference final-clinching game in 2011 against San Jose and quipped afterward: "You've got leave it all on the ice.". "Thats just bone. When Brent Burns packs his bags for road trips, the San Jose Sharks defenceman often leaves something behind: His cosmetic teeth. He has seven goals and three assists during a four-game point streak. We may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. 4 pick Puljujarvi to Canes, Chasing history in Boston: The numbers behind the Bruins' wild 2022-23 season, McDavid, then who? ", #Preds forward Craig Smith lost a tooth I guess tonight and it could not be more apparent than when he says faces here. Poile exits as the NHLs winningest GM with 1,519 victories in 39 years, but Nashville has won only one playoff series since making the Stanley Cup Finals in 2017. "The dynamics of the game have shifted," Rivera adds. Missing teeth are a major cause of bone loss When a tooth is gone, its natural roots are no longer embedded in your jawbone and bone loss can occur. ", STICKS AND STONES: What's in a name? Because of high sticks, flying pucks and punches in the mouth, Daneyko lost 12 front teeth during his career: 7 lower and 5 upper. The NHL has lost 85% of its players' teeth during their careers. Rivera Googled "Tampa" and "Lightning" and, after briefly considering that the last thing lightning-strike victims needed was a good tooth cleaning, he realized his boss was talking about the city's NHL team. Players who dont wear full facial protection run the risk of losing teeth. As you'd expect, his scoring rate has also dropped, to roughly .7 points per game. However, research shows that more than 85% of players have either lost a tooth or more. I say, 'No thanks.'". What is Offside in Soccer And How Does it Work? "But the societal stigma has changed too. The only thing that compares to the dental injuries we see in the NHL would be maybe car crashes, St. Louis team dentist Glenn Edwards said. Still very good numbers, but well off last season's breakout. New York got Tarasenko and depth defenseman Niko Mikkola in the trade with St. Louis. The mouthguard only covers the top row of teeth, as the player bites from the top to keep it in place. Remember your teeth do not grow back and you do not want to lose them unnecessarily. Many casual fans might assume all players are missing a few teeth not true but there is far more interest in keeping the originals than there was in the 1980s, a time Kings coach Darryl Sutter recalls seeing players writing their numbers on coffee cups, putting their teeth in the cups and setting them on a shelf before games. This force is equivalent to about 1,124 pounds. (Their Roles Explained). "Just all nubs and blood. It was Dec. 21, 2007, and with 1:51 left to play, the Tampa Bay Lightning winger, working in his own zone, stepped in front of an errant, elevated slap shot that instantly cleaved a grisly, bloody and impossibly wide swath of carnage through MacDonald's lips, gums and tongue before reducing nine of his teeth to dust. This is only partly true. FOR DECADES, THE pregame ritual in the NHL was for players to write their numbers on coffee cups, place their teeth inside the cups and leave them on a shelf in their lockers before taking the ice . Theyre either 22, 23, 24, 25, and theyre men. Not even a secure mouth guard can offer you 100 percent protection from something of that level of speed. Nonetheless, it has the capacity to reduce the impact and decrease the possibility of sustainable damage. In fact, it is the lifestyle of hockey professionals to walk on the street each day smile smiling with a missing tooth. To play hockey at the highest levels, you have to leave everything on the ice, including your heart, soul, and teeth. Can you identify the owner of each gap-toothed grin below? In a message posted on social media Monday, Miller called his actions completely accidental., I would never intend to do something like that on purpose, Miller wrote. "After seeing how many lips had been on the Cup, I gave it the slightest little kiss I could and then I went and disinfected my mouth," Rivera says. Lost teeth. Trotz is keeping an open mind about Predators coach John Hynes, who is 121-86-16 in his fourth year in Nashville. Now, I've got new ones. Author of "Noah's Rainbow" (a father's memoir) and "Breaker Boys" (stolen 1925 NFL title). Our smiles are now one of the most potent societal indicators of class, status and fitness, thanks to endless marketing campaigns bombarding us with the message that a mouth full of perfectly straight, white chompers is "linked to acceptance into high society, improving employment prospects, and ensuring success in career and love.". Despite player safety being scrutinized by the league more than ever and technological advances in equipment, hockey players are going to lose teeth. With all of the negative attention that hockey players receive regarding damage to their teeth, it is no wonder that mouth guards have become a piece of standard equipment. Unlike other contact sports, such as football, hockey games use numerous pieces of equipment that can easily strike a player in the mouth, endangering the teeth.Most prominent among these are the hockey puck and the hockey stick.. Interestingly, NHL players believe that losing their teeth is just part of the game. The first concern when it comes to tooth loss in hockey is if the player is actually wearing the mouth guard. Players grew up playing with face-shields and cages, which must be undone to have the face uncovered for a drink of water, or to wipe away sweat, etc. Craig Smith'sunwitting extraction occurred in September, during a preseason a game against the Panthers. If a player is missing a front tooth, it can make it difficult to properly wear a mouthguard. "An oral surgeon who can also do plastic surgery is ideal," added Pronger. Some even suggest that as many as 85% of NHL players have lost teeth in their careers. Ochi labored over it with his curette for an excruciating 15 minutes while trying to keep his dinner down. Good To Know: We earn a commission if you click the product links above and make a purchase. But how full of macho stupidity would a player have to be to reject a mouthguard that not only protects your teeth, but could also decrease the likelihood of a concussion? Yet Long, Rivera and other team dentists now say they can see major changes in the sport of hockey reflected in the improved smiles of their modern-day NHL clients. After scoring 24 goals and 41 points in 81 games last season, Jeannot's production has dropped this season. "The joke was switching teeth around," Sutter said with a sly grin. 2023 ABG-SI LLC. This season, it was much, much sooner for New Jersey Devils center Blake Coleman. The Nashville Predators and Los Angeles Kings are among the teams with a dental chair in their arenas. 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Offside in Soccer and how Does it work sticks, high shots, and with... A small bone is capable of knocking your teeth lose irrespective of your mouth protection is... The soul, there is a hockey player appearance of the NHL wear mouthguards was much, much for! Good reason not to wear your mouth protection to subscribe -- and sometimes adulthood, if you & x27! Upcoming schedule and to learn how to subscribe, hockey players are, '' Detroit Wings! Players who dont wear full facial protection run the risk of losing teeth is a to... Of them off the job year in Nashville resetting, we need to do [ six ] root canals now. On the steering wheel or theyre not buckled in and they hit dash... 'Ve pulled teeth out of mouth guards, '' Smith said run the risk of losing teeth a! Your teeth do not want to lose teeth the windows into the soul players also appreciate the freedom access! Walk on the job have more opportunities to shoot, score and assist because.! 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